ABSTRACT
People routinely enter conditions of experiential absorption, focus, and dissociated awareness spontaneously, that is, without any formal ritual of induction taking place. While it is arguable whether these spontaneous hypnotic experiences are the same as hypnosis produced in either the laboratory or clinical setting, at the very least they clearly share many common characteristics. Theoretically, then, inducing hypnosis in others shouldn’t be a particularly difficult thing to do. In fact, usually it isn’t all that difficult to do, although it can be made difficult if the client has poor concentration, low motivation, negative expectations, or fears about hypnosis or if the interpersonal dynamics of communication and influence aren’t skillfully applied in an appropriate context.
